Piecing lives together: integrated mine action in Cambodia

Background Integrated Demining and Development Project Mine clearance Mine risk education Land tenure Food security Water and sanitation Infrastructure Mine Ban Treaty Survivor assistance   Background Nearly three decades of war from 1970 have left Cambodia severely contaminated by landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO). Landmines are devices buried in the ground that explode when triggered by a person (anti-personnel) or vehicle (anti-vehicle). They are made from metal or plastic and come in many forms, including blast, fragmentation and bounding. UXO include bombs, shells, mortars, grenades and other ammunition that failed to detonate as intended. During the late 1970s landmines were laid along 700 kilometres of Cambodia’s border with Thailand, in a belt from 10 to 150 metres wide. They were also scattered in areas north and south of Tonle Sap Lake in the early 1980s. UXO are spread throughout Cambodia. Estimates of the areas contaminated by mines and UXO vary from 460 to 4,446 square kilometres because the exact locations of the devices were not mapped; neither are there accurate records of what land has been cleared. A huge range of landmines, bombs, mortars and grenades are still causing death and injury long after the conflict in Cambodia has ended. © AusAID When demining and mine awareness education began in Cambodia in the early 1990s, about 12 people were killed or injured every day. Since 2000, causalities have occurred at a rate of about two a day. Despite knowledge of the dangers of landmines and UXO, poverty leads people to risk walking and working in uncleared areas. Farmers need to grow food and families need to collect firewood and materials for housing. Children need to travel to school. In addition, some people scavenge for metal to sell for recycling in order to make a living. In 2005, 365 landmines and 510 UXO casualties were reported, comprising 168 people killed and 707 injured; 525 were men, 83 were women, 267 were children, 7 were military personnel and 22 were deminers. The dense tropical vegetation makes checking the land both difficult and time consuming. © AusAID Integrated Demining and Development Project An integrated approach is needed to address the complex problems caused by landmine and UXO contamination. Land must be made safe by clearing away landmines and UXO; people must learn about the dangers of explosions; those injured must be provided with fast and effective medical assistance; and survivors need support to rebuild their lives physically, economically and emotionally. The CARE Integrated Demining and Development Project (IDDP) has been working with 22 villages in Bavel District and Sala Krau District in near Pailin in Battambang to: reduce the risk of mine- and UXO-related injuries and deaths provide security of ownership of land through a recognised certificate of ownership process increase food security of families increase access to water and improve hygiene practices Mine clearance Highly trained, well-equipped deminers check land to find and destroy landmines and UXO. © CARE The Cambodia Mine Action Centre (CMAC) is the mine clearance organisation in the project region. Unsafe areas are marked clearly to warn people of the danger. These areas are then carefully examined for landmines and UXO. Often demining teams include local men and women, who appreciate the income. Deminers undergo training and wear protective clothing to limit the consequences of an explosion. They clear the vegetation and sweep the land with a metal detector to find metal objects, and carefully prod any suspicious object. Sometimes they use dogs to smell for explosives in plastic mines, which cannot be found with the metal detector. From 2001-2005 in the project area over 150 hectares of priority land was cleared, removing more than 819 anti-personnel mines, 248 anti-vehicle mines and 670 UXO. Total area demined and number of mines/UXO destroyed in Cambodia 2001–2005   2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Total area demined (sq metres) 21,886, 789 34,868,514 41,684,109 32,070,021 40,630,794 Anti-personnel mines 29,094 40,978 61,254 71,475 116,869 Anti vehicle mines 657 933 1,079 1,743 1,580 UXO 99,229 77,040 122,298 154,192 182,529 Source: http://www.icbl.org/lm/2006/cambodia.html Mine risk education Learning about the dangers of landmines through drama helps children live safely in areas that are still to be cleared. © CARE To live safely in contaminated areas, people must learn about the many different types of danger and what to do if they discover a mine or UXO. Children are at particular risk from landmines, as they are more likely than adults to curiously pick up strange objects, wander into unsafe areas and be killed outright if they do step on a device. Children are taught what landmines look like and how to avoid unsafe areas. CARE runs programs that use drama, dances, songs, puppets and pictures to help people remember the message. Some programs also teach basic first aid so that victims can be helped as soon as possible. Additionally, women are trained in the use of fuel-efficient stoves to minimise the need to gather firewood in the forests. Land tenure The newly cleared areas are allocated to villagers, who are issued with a certificate of ownership. © CARE The certificates of ownership assist villagers to rebuild their lives with the security of knowing that others will not challenge their right to their land. © CARE People have been displaced from their land because of contamination with landmines and UXO. As land is cleared there is therefore a need to ensure that ownership is clarified. CARE works with the district working groups and land title offices to survey and map the cleared areas and to issue provisional land title certificates through the provincial subcommittee. With the high death rate of men, women, who traditionally were not recognised as land owners, now head many households, and are given priority in the land distribution process. CARE’s IDDP also supports and monitors local government responses to land disputes. Food security A seedling nursery enables villagers to plant new crops. © CARE Villagers are taught improved farming methods to increase yields, so they can grow food not only for themselves but also for sale. Intensive land use on small plots includes growing crops and producing animals and fish. Community microfinance committees are provided with training and start-up funding to support the development of local enterprises. The income they make helps people avoid exploitation in the labour market, reduces their need to gather food in forests that may be contaminated with mines and UXO and helps keep families together and close to schools and health services. Water and sanitation Water pumps provide a safe source of water for household and crop use. © CARE Improving access to safe water reduces the need for women and children to cross uncleared areas to collect water. Water and sanitation activities include well construction, provision of water jars, installation of water pumps, well and pump maintenance, construction of toilets and establishment of water point committees to manage the water and sanitation facilities. Seventy-two wells, 15 community ponds and 470 family ponds have been constructed during the project. This has improved people’s health and reduced child mortality from diarrhoeal diseases. It has also led to better agricultural and aquaculture activities. Infrastructure The restoration of existing roads and the construction of new ones have helped ensure that villagers can access markets and services such as health care and schools. © CARE Mine Ban Treaty As a signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty (official title: the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction), Cambodia has destroyed its declared stockpile of anti-personnel mines. In 2005 land recognised as safe increased by more than 63 per cent as clearance rate increased and the land under cultivation and free of accidents was recognised as safe. Survivor assistance These landmine survivors compete in the Cambodian National Volleyball League (Disabled) and gain a new outlook on life. © AusAID/Kevin Evans Landmines and UXO continue to cause about two casualties per week. The majority of victims live in rural areas where the specialised treatment they need is not available. Not only might it take days to reach hospital, but ongoing medical care is likely to be very expensive. Survivors face great difficulties in rebuilding their lives. In addition to medical assistance, they need support to learn new skills to earn a living and regain their confidence, as Cambodian society tends to shun disabled people. The Kien Khlaeng National Rehabilitation Centre in Phnom Penh, which receives AusAID funding under the Landmine Assistance Program, provides a venue for people to share their experiences and learn new skills to rebuild their lives. The many organisations working together to address the issues of landmine- and UXO-contaminated land have made great progress but until all the land is cleared, all survivors receive the assistance they need and all those living in affected communities are no longer struggling to survive, there will be no true peace in Cambodia. Sources: http://www.icbl.org/lm/2006/cambodia.html CARE Australia AusAID Clearing landmines: http://www.ausaid.gov.au/human/landmines.cfm Cambodia Mine Action Centre: http://www.cmac.org.kh/index.asp